In an unexpected turn of events, Lito’s next movie sent him to film on location in Canada, which meant that in the last month, he only saw Hernando and Dani on a screen in between calls. It wasn’t that they hadn’t spent time apart before, it was that the distance between them was almost as far as it could be with them still in the same continent and Lito ached.
He ached for Hernando’s ceviche on a Saturday brunch, he ached for Dani’s visits for lunch when he was on set, he ached for margaritas shared in a hot tub where they miraculously all fit.
They wrapped up for the day when the wind picked up and it was impossible to shoot the rest of the scene in the snow with the storm coming. Lito half-listened to the conversation the crew was having around him, distractedly wondering what Hernando was doing back in Mexico. Surely his classes were finished for the day and he was getting ready for bed. Maybe he would watch a movie from his collection then read a book before falling asleep mid-sentence.
Dani was staying in LA this time, since Lito received a couple of offers for small parts in a couple of films and Lito wanted to know more. Ever since Iberian Dreams came out and people in Hollywood started noticing Lito, Dani and him had been busy reading scripts and meeting people from all walks of the industry. Award season hadn’t started yet but people were talking and Lito liked what people were saying: his name with all those famous actors he had only seen in movies and it was so close Lito could taste it.
But right now, in the van back to the hotel, looking out the window at the falling snow, all he felt was loneliness.
Lito walked down the hall to his room and sighed. Another night alone in a foreign room with no one to talk to. Nomi appeared next to him as he turned on the corner. “Hey, I resent that.”
“You know what I mean,” he mumbled.
As they reached his room, Nomi said, “I don’t know, I think you’ll have fun tonight.”
With a final smile, she left.
He couldn’t even mope on his own anymore.
When Lito opened the door though, he was struck with an image so bizarre and domestic that it had to be a dream. Hernando was wearing a cozy pair of pajamas, fluffing pillows next to the bed where Dani was already bundled up in blankets. There was a room service table by the window covered with plates and a bottle of sparkling wine, already open, next to three tall glasses.
Hesitant, he asked, “Hernando?”
“You’re here! Dani, he’s here,” said Hernando, coming around the bed to kiss him. It was just a quick peck on the lips because Lito was too stunned to respond, standing still with his bag still hanging from his shoulder.
“How—?” he couldn’t even formulate the questions he wanted to ask, but it must have shown on his face when Dani spoke up.
“I used the agent card. I told you, no one can keep Daniela Velasquez out.”
Turning to Hernando, he said, “but your classes—”
“The semester is over now. As of this morning I’m officially on holiday.”
Lito looked between Dani and Hernando. “And you came here? It’s snowing out there.”
Hernando’s hands cupped his face. “You are here and that’s all that matters.”
Lito let Hernando kiss him again and finally kissed him back, a long, drawn out kiss that tasted like chapstick and sparkling wine. Dani squealed in the background.
“Where’s my kiss?” she asked when they pulled apart.
Lito let his bag fall to the floor and went to Dani’s side of the bed, wrapping her in a hug and kissing the top of her head repeatedly. “What… do you… mean?” he said in between kisses.
Dani laughed in his arms, bubbly and happy, making Lito wonder how much they’d drunk before he arrived. Before he could tease them about it, Hernando was offering them two glasses of sparkling wine, so he let her go in favor of a drink.
“We should order another one,” said Dani.
“I have an early call tomorrow.” Lito drank from the glass he was given and raised an eyebrow. “But this is really good.”
Dani grabbed the hotel phone. “Do you guys think they can make margaritas?”
“Why don’t we stick to the wine?” said Hernando, always the sensible one. “Lito doesn’t need the hangover.”
“Are you hungry?” asked Dani. “Their ravioli was delicious.”
Lito smiled, knowing that Dani was probably looking for an excuse to grab dessert, so he humored her. “I could eat dessert.”
“Lito—” started Hernando.
“Are you sure?”
“We can share, guys. I’m not eating a whole cake by myself.”
“Ohh, cake!” Lito smiled at Dani, then glanced at Hernando and found him smiling in a similar way.
Once they placed their order, Lito changed into a robe and slippers, lingering in the bathroom to glance at himself. He looked a lot happier, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders the moment his people were with him.
“I told you it would be a good night,” Nomi said, appearing next to him.
“How?”
“I didn’t do much. I just found them the right flight to be there on time.”
“Thank you.”
Nomi smiled and left, leaving him alone in the bathroom. Not a moment later, there was a knock on the door announcing their order arrived.
“I’ll get it,” Lito said, not wanting them to get up from the bed.
The room service server was kind enough to not comment on Lito’s company, so he made sure to add a generous tip when he signed the receipt. Once the server was gone, they settled with their cake and wine, watching a movie inside the warmth of their shared bed while the storm raged outside.
It was the best night of shooting he had in a long time.